Galicia And Beyond!

So far, we've been through Navarra, Rioja, Castilla y León, and now, we've finally
crossed the Picos de Europa mountains into Galicia-- home of heavy rain and lush greenery.
The climate of this area is very similar to northeastern United States.

Rainy, yes, but Oh So Beautiful, the rain almost didn't matter....almost.

Each morning began with a heavy fog, draped over the land giving
everything an even glow. The fog lifted steadily and by midday it was clear as could be. . .
well, unless it was raining, of course.

November 1st is All Saints Day! We happened to be in a town of about 15 people, surprise surprise, and we all got together for a celebration of chorizo on the grill and chestnuts over the fire. Mmmm Mmmmm. The night was full of eating, singing and laughing.

Roasting chestnuts is a ritual of All Saints Day, or Todos Santos. Earlier in the day, people went out collecting buckets full of chestnuts from the ground. They were roasted in the giant barrel for about an hour, with someone turning it every once in a while. They come out scorching, and you toss them around like hot potatoes until they are cool enough to peel off the shell.

Here you'll find more images of the journey JUST up to our arrival into Santiago.

The final night of our journey together, Chris, me, Stephano (the Sardinian chef) and a few Spanish folks had a last dinner of pasta coated in a delicious mushroom sauce, compliments of Stephano. Chris and I each received a very sharp knife from our dear Spanish friends who spoke no English whatsoever, but eh, great parting gifts and very thoughtful.

Cheers to making it this far still in good spirits.
This last refuge could house up to 400 people and is only 5 kilometers
outside the city of Santiago(we can actually see the cathedral)... so we really
don't have very far to go the next morning.

For the final drop from the hill into the city of Santiago de Compostela, stay tuned . . .